Unlocking Warmer Homes: From ECO to the future of people-first home energy upgrades
We teamed up with our friends at Repowering London to explore the vital subject of how to make Britain’s homes warmer, better for the climate and cheaper to heat. Earlier this year, the government published the Warm Homes Plan (a long-term strategy for insulating Britain’s homes) and we really need it to work well so we can all switch to clean energy, bring energy bills down, and tackle energy poverty."
Getting this right matters. With the the government’s previous home energy upgrade scheme, ECO, falling short of its ambitions, and polling results that showing the UK public is worried about energy bills and doesn’t know how to access support, it’s clear that we need to learn from past mistakes and make sure that the Warm Homes Plan achieves its potential.
This research draws on the experiences of those involved in ECO—including households, landlords, energy suppliers, installers, and other delivery partners—to figure out what worked, what didn’t, and how future home energy upgrade schemes can deliver better outcomes for people, communities, and the country.
Key findings:
Public appetite for home upgrades is high but awareness of schemes is low. Our polling showed that 63% of people in the UK are worried about their household energy and heating costs, but most people don’t know that support is available: 77% of people said that they have heard very little or nothing at all about support available through home upgrade schemes like ECO.
The ECO scheme failed for a number of reasons:
The scheme was too complicated for households and for local operators. This included restrictive eligibility criteria, long timescales and extensive paperwork.
Funding and delivery were inconsistent, creating uncertainty for installers and local authorities.
Accountability and consumer protection were weak, which led to poor quality implementation and a high number of fraudulent claims.
Postcode lottery: Market-led delivery produced stark geographic inequalities, with a clear north-south divide.
Poor communication, misinformation and inadequate aftercare, led to trust being undermined.
Our recommendations:
These have been summarised into three key areas for this webpage. Please see the full report to read the recommendations in detail.
Put people first. This includes introducing caseworkers or a one-stop shop models to ensure end-to-end support, working alongside health and social care organisations to enhance support for vulnerable households, and improving protections for tenants.
Strengthen local delivery. This includes equipping local authorities to lead by providing funding and support across the country, providing assistance to local installers and SMEs including reducing administrative burdens, and harnessing existing knowledge and data for local referral networks.
Design schemes for long-term success. This includes providing stable funding, simpler eligibility, clear and effective public communications, and flexible, property-focused delivery.
Why is this report important?
Improving home insulation and increasing the use of low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps and solar panels are essential if the UK is to meet its net zero targets. As well as tackling the climate crisis, this work can also help bring down energy bills, reduce fuel poverty, and improve the health and wellbeing of millions of people.
The government’s new “Warm Homes Plan” represents the biggest homes upgrade programme in British history. But as we can see from this report, ambition alone is not enough - delivery is everything.
We are calling on the government to learn from the shortcomings of ECO, embed those lessons into the Warm Homes Plan, and ensure local authorities have the funding, powers, and support they need to deliver high-quality home energy improvements across the country.
At Possible, everything we do is about accelerating the transition to a cleaner, fairer UK. Through this research with Repowering London, we have brought together the experiences of those who delivered, participated in, and were affected by ECO. The result is a set of evidence-based recommendations to help ensure the Warm Homes Plan delivers lasting benefits for people, communities, and the climate.
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At Possible, our vision is a zero carbon UK, built by and for everyone. We show people and politicians across the country that this is possible, and inspire practical action to make sure we get there at the speed required.
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